Horn system



I May 5, 1936. H. HUEBER ET AL HORN SYSTEM Filed May 11, 1931 gnvgntoz Ra i Ember Era/in flh orivn 35% Patented May 5, 1936 UNITED sTA'rss PATENT OFFICE HORN SYSTEM Application May 11, 1931, Serial No. 536,633 7 Claims. (c1. 177-1) This invention relates to a horn system for motor vehicles, such as automobiles, motor boats, and the like. Owing to the advantages of pressure operated horns, it is preferred to have the motor vehicle equipped-with such type of horn. When the horn is made to operate by the pressure developed or induced by the operating motor vehicle engine, it cannot be relied upon to produce a signal when 10 the engine is at rest, or between certain intervals of ,engine operation. Especially is this true with reference to the suction operated horn that is connected to the intake manifold in which the degree of negative pressure varies according to the position of the throttle during the operation of the motor vehicle; For instance, with the engine throttle wide open the available degree of suction is very small and is at times insufficient to effectively operate the horn or signal.

' The present invention has for its object to provide a horn system in which a fluid pressure operated horn is primarily utilized for signalling purposes and an emergency signalling device is automatically brought into functioning relation with the push button, or other means of control acces sible to the driverof the motor vehicle, when the available fluid pressure for the primary signal is insuflicient to actuate the same, thereby insuring the sounding of a warning signal at all times and regardless of the condition of the fluid pressure.

s pply.

In the drawing:

Fig. 1 is a diagrammatic showing of the horn system for motor vehicles depicting one embodiment' of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is an enlarged fragmentary view partly in section and partly in elevation, depicting more particularly the pressure operated switch.

Referring more in particular to the drawing,

40 the "numeral l designates a storage battery or other source of electrical energy, one terminal of which may be grounded as by the wire 2 and the opposite terminal connected by a wire 2' to one terminal of an electrically responsive control I for the primary warning device. The latter is,

herein depicted as a fluid pressure operated horn 4, connected by a conduit 5 to the inlet side i of, the control 3 which in turn communicates through apassage I to the source of operating pressure, herein illustrated as the intake manifold I of the motor vehicle internal combustion engine. The electrically responsive control. is provided with a seat 0, leading to the passage I, on which.

normally engages a valve disk Ill having a play connection with the core or armature ll of a solenoid I! so that when the solenoid is energized the armature I I will gain suiiicient momentum'to easily unseat the valve against the differential. pressure on opposite sides thereof. The play connection is afiorded by passing a reduced stem i I" 5 through a central. hole in the disk *II to slide therethrough between two limit shoulders ii".

The circuit wire 2' is connected to the solenoid II, as by. binding post It, and'from the companion binding post it the circuit wire 15 leads to a 4 push button It, or othercircuit closing device, mounted in an accessible position and preferably on the steering wheel, as illustrated. From the push button It leads a grounding wire I! so thatthe circuit for the fluid pressure control valve includes the conductors 2, 3, i5, i1, together with the push button and the source of electrical energy l. Consequently when the push button It is depressed to close the circuit through the solenoid i2 the valve II will be unseated so that the suction maintaining in the intake manifold 8 will draw air in through the suction operated horn l and the conduit I to sound the desired warning signal.

The emergency signalling device is under the common control of the actuator l8 with the horn l, but is only actuated when the manifold suction is insufllcient to operate the fluid pressure horn l.- In the present showing this emergency device is shown as an electrically actuated horn I8 which is connected by a circuit wire is to the wire 2' and also by a'wire 20 to one side or bind.- ing post 2| of an automatic switch 25. A second binding post 22 of the switch is connected by a wire 23 to the wire i5 so that the wires I9, 20 3 and 23 constitute a shunting circuit which is energized by the automatic switch. This switch is made responsive to the fluid pressure condition maint'ainingin. the intake manifold and may have communication through the port I although in 40 the present illustration it is given a separate line of communication by means of passage 2. The switch comprises a casing having a chamber 26 one wall of which is formed by a yieldable diaphragm- 21 which is urged outwardly by a spring 5 28. The diaphragm is preferably of a yieldable character possessing little or no inherent resiliency whereby the outward urge exerted by the spring 28 will be definite and will be applied solely by said spring, modified, of course, by the 5 pressure differential. To this end it is therefore desirable to make the diaphragm of fabric or nonrresilient stock. When permitted by the pressure within the intake manifold, the spring actsto'enlargethe chamber It and hold the con- 55 tact ring II, which is carried by the diaphragm, in contact with the two contacts 3| and 32 of the binding posts II and 22 so as to bridge and electricalLv connect the circuit thereacross.

The automatic switch 25 is normally open, as is illustrated in Fig. 2 wherein the diaphragm 21 is held inwardly by reason of the differential pressure maintaining on opposite sides thereof, the outer side of the diaphragm being open to the atmosphere through a suitable vent 30. Therefore, when the manifold suction is sufllcient to operate the signal 4 the diaphragm 21 is held inwardly against the spring It and consequently when the push button I is actuated to open the valve II the warning signal 4 will be operated.

If, when the engine is at rest or the manifold suction is insuillcient to effectively actuate the fluid pressure operated horn I, the spring 28 will move the contact ring 29 out into engagement with the two contacts II and 32 and thereby establish electrical connection therebetween in readiness to operate the emergency signal I 8 when the push button is depressed, It is therefore observed that the motor vehicle is at all timm provided with an effective signal; that the unergency signal II is sounded only when conditions are not right for the actuation of the more desirable warning signal 4. While under normal operating conditions the pressure operated horn is ready to function, in an emergency, as upon failure of the fluid pressure supply, the horn circuit will be automatically shifted over to the emergency horn and without any attention on part of the driver of the motor vehicle.

The term "horn" is used in the appended claims in a generic sense, to include a signalling device of appropriate design and operation, in which the-spirit of the present invention may be carried into practice.

What is claimed is:

1. In combination with a fluid pressure operated born for motor vehicles, operable from a source of variable pressure, such as the intake manifold of the internal combustion engine, a second horn, electrical means for operating the second horn, an electrically operated control for the fluid presure horn for opening the latter to the source of variable pressure, an electric circuit including said control for actuating the same, and means for electrically connecting the second born into said circuit and including a pressure operated switch responsive to pressure conditions in said source to bring the second horn into said circuit when the source of pressure is insuflicient to actuate said fluid pressure horn.

2. A horn system for motor vehicles, comprisim a suction operated horn connected to the intake manifold, an electrically operated valve for controlling the connection, an electric circuit including the valve, a circuit closer, for the circult, a shunt circuit shunting the valve, an emergoncy warning device in the shunt circuit, and means under the influence of the manifold pressure for opening the shunt circuit when the manifold pressure is of predetermined degree.

3. In a fluid pressure system having a source of diflerential fluid presure communicating therewith, a plurality of signals, an electric circuit for controlling the operation of the signals, means for connecting one of the signals in the circuit for electrical operation, means for connecting anotha-slgnal for fluid pressure operation, means common to said signals for initiating the operationotanyotthenasaidsignalsbeingselectively operable, and selecting means associated with the system and operable according to the fluid pressure in said source of differen .al fluid pressure.

4. In combination with a fluid pressure operated horn and an electric horn, a source of fluid pressure and a passage connecting said source and fluid pressure horn, a source of electrical energy,.valve means normally closing said fluid passage, andelectrical means for opening said valve means for actuating said fluid pressure horn, an electrical circuit including control means connecting said electrical means and the source of electrical energy whereby the electrical means may effect operation of the fluid pressure born, a branch circuit or :mected to the first mentioned circuit and to the electric horn, a switch for opening and closing said branch circult, means connected to said fluid passage and operative by the normal fluidpressure therein to open said switch, said last mentioned means closing said switch when the fluid pressure becomes insufficient for operation of the fluid pressure horn, whereby the control means may control the fluid pressure horn when the fluid pressure is suflicient and may control the electric horn when the fluid pressure is insufllcient.

5. In a horn system for vehicles, a signal device operable by. fluid pressure and means for supplying fluid pressure for operating the horn, an electrical signal device, control means common to both signal devices for controlling the operation thereof, and means influenced by the degree of fluid pressure supplied to the first mentioned sig nal device for rendering the electrical signal device inoperative by the control means when said degree of fluid pressure is ample to operate said first mentioned signal device.

6. A horn installation for vehicles having internal combustion engines comprising an electric sounding device, a vacuum operable horn con:

nected to the intake manifold of the engine, an electrically operable valve controlling the vacuum developed in the vacuum operable horn, a source of electrical energy having a lead to the electric sounding device, a manually controlled switch and a divided circuit connecting the electric sounding device with the manually controlled switch, one side of the divided circuit containing the electrically operable valve and the other side of the circuit containing a vacuum operable switch operable by the vacuum developed in the intake manifold whereby when the engine is running the vacuum operable horn alone will be operated and when the engine is not running or the vacuum is lower than a predetermined amount the electric sounding device alone will be operated on closing the manually controlled switch.

7. In combination with a vehicle having an internal combustion engine, an electric sounding device and vacuum operable horn connected to the intake manifold of the engine, a manually controlled switch, and means for causing the electric sounding device alone to be operated when the internal combustion engine is not running or the vacuum is lower than a predetermined amount on closing the manually controlled switch, and means for causing the vacuum operable horn alone to be operated when the vacuum in the internal combustion engine intake manifold is sufficient to operate the vacuum horn on closing the manually. controlled switch.

HENRY HUEBER. ERWIN C. HORTON. 

